Kebabs of two cities

The royal food of the Capital’s walled-city is here, and its patrons are rejoicing. But is it too sanitised for an experience of the original? We visited Karim’s to find out

The street is mildly buzzing with customers shopping at the stalls on Bandra’s Linking Road. Tucked in one of the bylanes is the city’s first franchise of the iconic Jama Masjid’s Karim’s restaurant. The logo is telling of a brand we frequent on our occasional, hurried trips, nonchalantly scheduling the day around this culinary destination. Like us, many hardcore meat-lovers do the same, even if it means braving through the narrow, crowded lanes of Purani Dilli-a world within a world. And that journey in itself becomes an integral part of the meal experience.  A sensory overload inside and out of the restaurant. Outside, there are sights, smoke and an excited crowd awaiting a table. Inside, waiters hurry along with orders, as cooks stir huge pots of curries, two others basting fat on the kebabs that sizzle on long skewers. There is a certain rhythm. Like clockwork, it has been perfected over a hundred years. 

Mutton seekh kebab

The restaurant is steeped in history, with the son of a royal cook, Haji Karimuddin, opening a Mughlai fare dhaba for commoners. It was a first of its times. He started with just alu gosht (mutton with potatoes) and daal, served with rumali roti-the founding dishes of Karim Hotel in 1913. From then, they’ve expanded to Nizamuddin West, Kailash Colony, Noida, Gurugram, Kamla Nagar, Dwarka and all of the Delhi NCR region, with menu that boasts of a 100 dishes across courses. 

Today, the fourth generation is running the show and one of them, Aivaz Asif, who was in the city last month to launch the restaurant, tells us, “Mumbai was long due. Every time I have come to this city, I’ve felt it lacks a good, authentic Mughlai restaurant. Most serve either garam masala-laden kababs and a common onion-tomato-cream based gravy. The minor flavour nuances are missing. I’d say to my friends who would take me around, you guys need a Karim’s here and they’d ask, ‘what’s stopping you?’”

Aivaz Asif is the fourth generation descendent of Haji Karim

We discuss with Ranjit Bindra of Aallia Hospitality, the brand responsible for bringing Karim’s to Mumbai, on how food can taste different, in different cities, even with the same recipe. “There are lot of factors that determine the taste of a certain dish, including the quality of water, masalas, meat. While some factors cannot be controlled, by ensuring that the chefs from Delhi will themselves be making the food here, we are trying to control a large chunk of how a dish will taste. Karim’s is a legacy. To match up to that product is difficult but we have strived to achieve it.“

Walking into the Bandra outlet, the glass enclosed counter-where the kebabs are skewered over charcoal-emits the quintessential aromas that are enough to transport you to Gali Kababian, the lane where the original outlet is. The handis in which the gravies are slowly simmered are on display too, reminiscent of the Karim’s original. But the decor is minimal, earthy and looks sanitised. “Through these details, we have tried to get the feel of the original here because dining at Karim’s is an experience,” says Kunal Jani, director, Aallia Hospitality.

Mumbai foodies compare the two Karim’s

Shilpa Gupta, Home Chef

The name evoked great food memories from the ’90s, but the similarities with the original Karim’s ends there. This one’s earthy walls, warm lighting, au courant earthenware crockery and crisp, English-speaking stewards are nothing like the original. Simple yet cozy but no linoleum top tables, cold florescent lighting, melamine plates or slap-on-the-table service. The chicken burra kebab (Rs 300) is as good as its original cousin. The mutton seekh is tender, and perfectly cooked. Though I did find it a little bland compared to their other food. The mutton seekh and chicken tikka rolls were a 10/10. They were meat all the way and not those chutney and onion-soaked versions. The kheema naan was superb and so was the  soya chaap tikka; the best I’ve had, albeit very spicy. My request for no cream, no butter, no oil in the chaap was adhered to so perfectly,  that I ordered a repeat. There were great options for vegetarians too. A suggestion would be to offer a moderately-spiced version of their kebabs. Price wise, this smart dine-in, might just be cheaper (and definitely offering better food quality) than the Bade Miya outlets in town.

Salil Gokarn, Chef

The place is well lit, the setup comfortable and the service staff is proactive. I ordered mutton seekh kebab (R200 for half), bheja, khameeri roti and shahi tukda (Rs 130). The portions were decent. The kebabs were soft and moist, well balanced and had just the right amount of salt, fat and light hint of aromatic spices. They don’t melt in your mouth, but have a good mouth feel, as good kebabs should. The nihari I had in Delhi was better in all fairness. I guess it lacked the final tari. This was made in ghee and not mustard oil, which brings out the flavours of an authentic nihari. The bheja, served in a similar fatty nihari-based gravy had the flavour of black peppercorn, cinnamon and cumin stand out. The khameeri roti was made exactly how I had it in Old Delhi—the fermented aromas came through with each morsel. It goes very well with almost any gravy, stew or curry. The shahi tukda was slightly sweeter than it should have been, but delicious nonetheless.

Siddharth Rangnekar, Fintech Professional

Having lived in Delhi, Karim’s was a regular haunt. Here, I tasted the mutton burra and it was exactly as it was at the original Karim’s—charred on the outside and succulent on the inside. The chicken stew was a little on the spicier side, but it still tasted delicious. The only thing missing was the hustle bustle of Chandni Chowk.

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